1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automobile rear body structure and more particularly to an automobile rear side body structure. More specifically, the present invention pertains to an automobile rear body structure including a tire house structure secured to a body rear fender panel and a rear floor panel.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, an automobile rear body structure includes a tire house structure located at each side. The tire house is constituted by a tire house inner panel and a tire house outer panel both of which are of arcuately curved configuration and welded together to form a curved housing for accommodating an upper portion of the rear wheel. The tire house outer panel is welded at its side portion to a rear fender, and the tire house inner and outer panels are welded at the rear lower end portions to the rear floor panel. It has been experienced in this type of rear body structure that sufficient rigidity cannot be provided and deformations have later been produced in use.
In Japanese utility model application 55-160988 filed on Nov. 10, 1980 and disclosed for public inspection on May 22, 1982, under the disclosure number 57-83078, it is proposed to extend the tire house outer panel rearward and connect the opposite sides of the extended portion to the rear fender and the rear floor panel, respectively. However, this proposal is aimed to make it unnessary to extend the rear portion of the floor panel sideward, so that it is not effective at all to provide the structure with increased rigidity.
In a hatch-back type automobile body structure, a proposal has been made is Japanese Utility model application No. 55-133187 filed on Oct. 27, 1980 and disclosed for public inspection on May 8, 1982, under the disclosure number 57-74881, to extend the rear pillar inner panel downward and connect it to the rear quarter outer panel and the rear cross member and form a transversely extending structure of a closed cross-section by the rear pillar inner panel and the rear cross member. The proposed structure is, however, disadvantageous in that any external load from the rear bumper is applied to the rear quater outer panel causing deformation thereof.